LOS ANGELES – In support of the 38th Annual California Strawberry Festival, Metrolink, Southern California’s regional passenger rail system, will modify its Ventura County Line service on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19. To allow festival goers easy access to the Ventura County Fairgrounds, where the event is taking place, Metrolink trains will bypass the Ventura-East Station and will stop at the fairgrounds-adjacent Ventura-Downtown/Beach Station.
“The California Strawberry Festival has been an area tradition since 1984, celebrating Ventura County’s leading crop – delicious strawberries,” Metrolink Board Director and City of Camarillo Mayor Tony Trembley said. “By dropping attendees off at the event’s doorstep, Metrolink is making it even easier for Southern Californians from across the region to experience all the festival has to offer, including unique strawberry-themed refreshments, art, music and a wealth of activities for children and adults.”
Approximately 1.5 million strawberries are expected to be consumed by festival attendees throughout the weekend provided by more than 50 onsite food and drink vendors. Attendees will be able to sample deep-fried strawberries, strawberry tacos, strawberry kabobs, strawberry nachos and strawberry-infused beverages, or partake in the festival’s ‘build-your-own’ Strawberry Shortcake Experience. Live entertainment will begin each day at 11 a.m., and Strawberryland for Kids will offer childhood fun with puppet and magic shows, rides, bounce houses and climbing walls.
Metrolink’s $10 Weekend Day Pass provides unlimited rides on the day of purchase, and up to three kids ages 17 and under ride free with each fare-paying adult, making Metrolink a convenient and affordable option for families traveling to the festival. Students with a valid student ID can also take Metrolink for free using the Student Adventure Pass.
Passengers can catch Ventura County Line train 163, which will depart LA Union Station at 10:31 a.m., arriving in Ventura at approximately 12:19 p.m. On the return trip, train 164 will leave the Ventura-Downtown/Beach Station at 4:14 p.m. and arrive at LA Union Station at 6:04 p.m. Customers on Metrolink’s Antelope Valley, 91/Perris Valley and San Bernardino lines can transfer to the Ventura County Line at Union Station using Metrolink’s regularly scheduled weekend service.
Metrolink also has an active codeshare program with Amtrak Pacific Surfliner that allows Metrolink ticket holders to ride any Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains between LA Union Station and Ventura, and vice versa, creating more options for California Strawberry Festival attendees. While Metrolink’s Kids Ride Free on Weekends promotion is not valid on Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains, students with an activated Student Adventure Pass ticket and valid student ID can ride free utilizing the codeshare program.
More information about Metrolink’s special service for this event is available at metrolinktrains.com/strawberry-festival.
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Metrolink regional passenger rail service offers reliable, safe, affordable, and environmentally sustainable transportation throughout an interconnected six-county network. Metrolink has 545.6 total service line miles and 67 stations across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, and San Diego counties, connecting people, communities, and businesses and serving as an essential link in the region’s mobility landscape. Metrolink also operates the Arrow service, a nine-mile extension of the San Bernardino County Line linking the cities of San Bernardino and Redlands.
